Physics Today Notes NanoLub Engine Oil Additive, As An Example Of Only 10% Of Entries In The CPI, Which Provide …

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(PRWEB) March 17, 2014

An article published in Physics Today, the prestigious bulletin of the American Physical Society on February 2014, reviews the worrying situation in the nano-tech market, where some producers make unsubstantiated scientific claims with regards to their products' use of nanotechnology.

According to the article, an extensive review conducted by Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory (CPI) reveals that only 10% of the 1600 consumer products listed in the CPI, currently provide appropriate safety data and supporting scientific evidence for their technological claims.

Under the review, each product has received one of 5 possible category tags: Category 5 (Not advertised by manufacturer), Category 4 (Unsupported claim), Category 3 (Manufacturer-supported claim), Category 2 (Verified claim), and Category 1 (Extensively verified claim) which was awarded to only 7 products, 4 of them from NanoMaterials NanoLub product line.

As per CPI standards, the Extensively Verified Claim Category 1 Tag received by NanoLub products is awarded when: The manufacturer has provided information supporting the nanotechnology claim and this claim was verified by an independent source. Actual product has been tested for nanomaterial or supporting documentation references such product or product was described in more than one published scientific documents (such as research studies, patents, or reports). For example: The manufacturer website lists a datasheet with nanomaterial characteristics plus a scientific research paper or patent also describes the product.* (*)The CPI Category 1 Listing can be viewed by clicking here.

Nanolub Oil Engine Additive, one of NanoMaterials products to receive the Extensively Verified Claims tag, is specifically mentioned by Physics Today as a positive example of a scientifically well substantiated product:

according to the CPIs own new data-quality rating - called How much we know- fewer than 10% of the entries currently provide supporting evidence that the nanomaterial works as claimed, or is even present in the product. One that does is an engine-oil additive under the extensively verified claims category, which identifies the nanomaterial (tungsten disulfide nano particle), its function (lubricant), its location in the product (suspended in liquid), and its potential human exposure pathway (dermal absorption and inhalation). The entry also includes quotes from research papers that validate the function and performance claims of the nanomaterial.**

**Taking Stock Of The Nanotechnology Consumer Product Market by Jermey N. A. Matthews, Physics Today 67(2), 22, 2014

We always welcome and even advocate for such reviews said Daniel Sclar, NanoMaterials CEO. This increased transparency is definitely good for the nanotech industry, as it allows the customer to differentiate between those companies whose products are based on serious scientific research, from those who just use nano as a buzz word. Being noted as an example of a well substantiated product, as in this case, raises our customers' confidence and gives a great feedback to our scientists.

Click here to view NanoLub listings at the CPI website. The NanoLub series has received the prestigious Nano 50TM Award by Nanotech Briefs (publishers of NASA Tech Briefs) and it is the first successful commercial implementation of inorganic, multi-layered fullerene-shaped WS2 nanoparticles in lubricants, based on patented and award-winning technology developed at Weizmann Institute of Science.

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Physics Today Notes NanoLub Engine Oil Additive, As An Example Of Only 10% Of Entries In The CPI, Which Provide ...

Nano technique boosts plant energy production and creates plant biosensors

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In 2010, Stanford University researchers reported harnessing energy directly from chloroplasts, the cellular "power plants" within plants where photosynthesis takes place. Now, by embedding different types of carbon nanotubes into these chloroplasts, a team at MIT has boosted plants' ability to capture light energy. As well as opening up the possibility of creating "bionic plants" with enhanced energy production, the same approach could be used to create plants with environmental monitoring capabilities.

Chloroplasts are self-contained units that contain all the machinery required for photosynthesis the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy. Although they can still function when removed from plants, they start to break down after a few hours because light and oxygen damage the photosynthetic proteins. This damage is usually repaired by the plants, but chloroplasts are unable to do this on their own.

As part of an attempt to enhance the photosynthetic function of chloroplasts that were extracted from plants for possible use in solar cells, the MIT research team led by Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering, embedded them with cerium oxide nanoparticles. These nanoparticles, which are also known as nanoceria, are very strong antioxidants and the hope was that they would protect the chloroplasts from damage and prolong their productivity by scavenging oxygen radicals and other highly reactive molecules produced by light and oxygen.

The nanoceria were delivered into the chloroplasts using a new technique called lipid exchange envelope penetration (LEEP), which was developed by the team. This involves wrapping the nanoparticles in polyacrylic acid, a highly charged molecule, which allows the particles to penetrate the fatty, hydrophobic membranes that surrounds the chloroplasts. Using this technique, the researchers were able to significantly reduce the levels of the damaging molecules.

Building on this research, the team then used the LEEP technique to embed semiconducting carbon nanotubes coated in negatively charged DNA into the chloroplasts. The scientists believed that the carbon nanotubes could allow the plants to make use of more than the 10 percent of sunlight they usually make use of by acting as artificial antennae that would capture wavelengths of light beyond their normal range, such as ultraviolet, green and near-infrared.

Measuring the rate of electron flow through the thylakoid membranes within the chloroplasts, the researchers saw an increase in photosynthetic activity of 49 percent compared to isolated chloroplasts without the embedded nanotubes. Chloroplasts to which both nanoceria and carbon nanotubes were delivered together also remained active for a few hours longer than normal.

To test the approach on living plants, the team then used a technique called vascular infusion to deliver nanoparticles to Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant commonly known as thale cress. This involved applying a solution of nanoparticles to the underside of the leaf, where it penetrated the plant through tiny pores through which the plant usually takes in carbon dioxide in and expels oxygen. The nanotubes made their way to the chloroplasts, resulting in a boost in photosynthetic electron flow of about 30 percent.

Photosynthesis involves two stages. The first sees green chlorophyll pigments absorb light, which excites electrons that flow through the thylakoid membranes within the chloroplasts. This electrical energy is then captured by the plant to power the second stage the production of sugars. The researchers say it is still unclear how boosting the electron flow using nanoparticles affects the plants' sugar production.

The MIT team says the same approach used to enhance the Arabidopsis thaliana plants' energy production could also be used to turn them into chemical sensors. MIT researchers have previously developed carbon nanotube sensors that can identify various different chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, TNT and sarin. These consist of carbon nanotubes that glow when a polymer in which they are wrapped binds with the target molecule.

"We could someday use these carbon nanotubes to make sensors that detect in real time, at the single-particle level, free radicals or signaling molecules that are at very low-concentration and difficult to detect," says postdoc and plant biologist Juan Pablo Giraldo.

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Nano technique boosts plant energy production and creates plant biosensors

7 awesome small-cars coming soon to India

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Maruti Alto K10 AMT/facelift

Recently a newspaper report suggested that Maruti is considering an AMT for the Alto K10. The company disrupted the B1 segment by offering this game-changing feature on the Celerio which now has a 6-month waiting period.

The Celerio was a test bed for the technology and now that 50 per cent of the 22,000-plus bookings are for the AMT, Maruti wants to extend this to other carlines.

The AMT for the Celerio, supplied by Magneti Marelli, and currently imported, would very likely be used on the Alto K10, and could come in a localised state.

The Alto K10 AMT is expected to hit showrooms by the end of this year and could simultaneously debut the cosmetic update.

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Maruti Celerio.

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Fighting antibiotic resistance with 'molecular drill bits'

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Mar-2014

Contact: Michael Bernstein 214-853-8005 (Dallas Press Center, March 14-19) 202-872-6042 m_bernstein@acs.org

Contact: Katie Cottingham, Ph.D. 214-853-8005 (Dallas Press Center, March 14-19) 301-775-8455 k_cottingham@acs.org

American Chemical Society

DALLAS, March 17, 2014 In response to drug-resistant "superbugs" that send millions of people to hospitals around the world, scientists are building tiny, "molecular drill bits" that kill bacteria by bursting through their protective cell walls. They presented some of the latest developments on these drill bits, better known to scientists as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

The meeting, which features more than 10,000 scientific reports across disciplines from energy to medicine, continues here through Thursday.

One of the researchers in the search for new ways to beat pathogenic bacteria is Georges Belfort, Ph.D. He and his team have been searching for a new therapy against the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB). It's a well-known, treatable disease, but resistant strains are cropping up. The World Health Organization estimates that about 170,000 people died from multidrug-resistant TB in 2012.

"If the bacteria build resistance to all current treatments, you're dead in the water," said Belfort, who is at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

To avoid this dire scenario, scientists are developing creative ways to battle the disease. In ongoing research, Belfort's group together with his wife, Marlene Belfort, and her group at the University at Albany are trying to dismantle bacteria from within. They also decided to attack it from the outside.

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Fighting antibiotic resistance with 'molecular drill bits'

'Transcendence': Johnny Depp Sci-Fi Thriller Is A Technological Cautionary Tale [Trailer + Pictures]

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Depp undergoes an eerie cyber transformation in 'Transcendence.'

The full-length trailer has been released for the upcoming Johnny Depp sci-fi thriller, Transcendence. Directed by Wally Pfister ('Inception,' 'The Dark Knight'), the film pushes the boundaries of human innovation to bring us a chilling look at the potentially destructive power of technology. Depp stars as a scientist whose brain is uploaded to a supercomputer upon his death.

In His First Sci-Fi Role, Johnny Depp Plays A Genius Scientist On The Verge Of Breakthrough.

Will Caster (Depp) is a computer scientist at the forefront of artificial intelligence research before he is taken out by an anti-technology activist. Determined not to die, the scientist and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) rush to find a way to upload his consciousness so that he can communicate even beyond the grave. However, not everybody is certain of what will happen if they succeed, especially as Carter's mind begins to evolve and become more powerful than he could have ever dreamed.

Watch The Full 'Transcendence' Trailer:

Pfister's unnerving thriller explores a future of science without boundaries and the untold effect that merging robotics with human emotional intelligence can have upon mankind. Having played a pirate, a mad hatter, a chocolatier and a chameleon, Transcendence will see Depp transformed into a highly intelligent computer in his first high-profile science fiction role alongside Morgan Freeman, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy and Paul Bettany.

Caster's Mind Is Uploaded To A Supercomputer Before His Death.

Even by watching the trailer, we get a real flavour of 2010's critically-lauded Inception, the surreal sci-fi film for which Pfister worked as a cinematographer. The same jaw-dropping digital effects are used for full impact in Transcendence, which combines a philosophical and intelligent plotline with state-of-the-art CGI and futuristic scenes.

Caster's Former Colleagues Watch With Horror & Fascination As His Power Exceeds Imagination.

Transcendence will be released on the 17th April in the USA and on the 25th April in the UK.

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'Transcendence': Johnny Depp Sci-Fi Thriller Is A Technological Cautionary Tale [Trailer + Pictures]

GovWatch: Amtrack, porn on state computers and spending dimes to make nickels

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Amtrak has decided giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars in wine, cheese and champagne wasnt enough. The U.S. taxpayer-subsidized railroad is now giving free rides to itinerant writers.

Two dozen writers will be selected starting this month for the #AmtrakResidency program. Each will get a private sleeper car on a round-trip, long-distance route to work on their craft in an inspiring environment.

Writer Jessica Gross offered this advice to Amtraks blog: Dont be too ambitious with what you plan to get done: Allow for time spent gazing out the window, letting ideas work themselves out in your mind. Its that kind of deep thinking that the train is particularly good for, and that can be more difficult to achieve in the interstices of busy day-to-day life.

Amtrak asked for $2.6 billion in federal support this year, and has long struggled to turn a profit. An inspector generals report last year noted the system loses tens of millions of dollars a year on food and beverage service, including free food provided to passengers on some routes.

Sexy Babe on state computer

State officials quickly removed a pornographic video titled Sexy Babe that was found on an Ohio Department of Natural Resources website.

The Columbus Dispatch reported about the video after the newspaper was contacted by a reader. It was on a page where companies can upload large files such as maps that are used as data for tracking more than 100,000 wells permitted since 1980.

Turns out anyone could upload files to the site. In addition to two porn videos there were music files and other non-official-looking files, the Dispatch reported.

State officials took down the materials and began requiring credentials to upload stuff to the site, the newspaper reported.

Spending dimes to make nickels

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GovWatch: Amtrack, porn on state computers and spending dimes to make nickels

Stigmata of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Stanford Medicine 25) – Video

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Stigmata of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Stanford Medicine 25)
This Stanford Medicine 25 video was created in conjunction with Stanford #39;s AIM lab teaching the examination of the spleen. The Stanford Medicine 25 is a Stan...

By: Stanford Medicine 25

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Stigmata of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Stanford Medicine 25) - Video

Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for March 18, 2014

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Mar-2014

Contact: Megan Hanks mhanks@acponline.org 215-351-2656 American College of Physicians

1. Evidence does not support guidelines on fatty acid consumption to reduce coronary risk

Current evidence does not support nutritional guidelines that advocate high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. For cardiovascular health, nutritional guidelines generally encourage low consumption of saturated fats, high consumption of w-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and avoidance of trans fats. However, uncertainties in available evidence have contributed to the considerable variation in international guidelines about optimum amounts and types of fatty acids people should consume. Further complicating data interpretation, earlier analyses have generally not assessed the consistency between studies that rely on dietary self-report and biomarker measures of fatty acids in relation to coronary disease. Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from long-term prospective observational studies of a broad range of both dietary and biomarker fatty acid measures in coronary disease. They also examined associations with coronary outcomes in randomized trials of fatty acid supplementation. The researchers' findings did not support cardiovascular guidelines that promote high consumption of long-chain w-3 and w-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and reduced consumption of total saturated fatty acids. They also found that supplementation did not statistically significantly reduce the risk for coronary outcomes.

Note: The URL will go live at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 17 and can be included in news stories. For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. The lead author, Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury, may be contacted directly at RC436@medschl.cam.ac.uk.

2. Patients co-infected with HIV and HCV more likely to suffer liver decompensation

Despite treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART), patients co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) have higher rates of liver decompensation than patients with HCV alone, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Up to 30 percent of patients with HIV also are often co-infected with HCV and HCV-related liver complications are an important cause of morbidity in co-infected patients. It has been suggested that ART slows HCV-associated liver fibrosis. However, whether rates of hepatic decompensation and other severe liver events in co-infected patients receiving ART are similar to those with HCV only remains unclear. Veterans Affairs researchers compared health records for 4,280 patients co-infected with HIV and HCV who initiated ART with those of 6,079 veterans with HCV only to compare hepatic decompensation rates. Co-infected patients that had HIV RNA levels less than 1,000 copies/ML had a lower rate of hepatic decompensation than those with a lesser degree of HIV suppression. However, the rate was still higher than that of patients with HCV alone. Higher rates of decompensation were seen in co-infected patients receiving ART who had baseline advanced liver fibrosis, severe anemia, diabetes, and were of nonblack race.

Note: The URL will go live at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 17 and can be included in news stories. For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, please contact Steve Graff at Stephen.Graff@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-349-5653.

3. Pneumonia coding practices may skew hospital performance outcomes

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Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for March 18, 2014

Concerns about HPat medical school entrance exam need to be urgently addressed

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A report in this newspaper that the medical school entrance examination, the HPat, is being investigated amid claims that students had prior knowledge of some of the questions that appeared in the exam is disturbing.

While there is no suggestion of any impropriety on the part of students or the course provider, it is claimed as many as 700 students who attended two-day courses run by a company called MedEntry were coached through a large number of questions, up to 10 of which appeared in the Hpat exam held earlier this month.

The Australian Council for Educational Research (Acer), which administers the HPat test used in Ireland, said it is concerned at the claim and is now conducting a full investigation.

Introduced here in 2009, HPat is seen as a mechanism to widen the number of students eligible to apply for an undergraduate medical degree here. It effectively lowers the Leaving Certificate points threshold; points from the Leaving are now combined with those from the HPat to produce an overall score from which the Central Applications Office then makes offers of places to students.

While kept under regular review by educationalists here, a formal review of the examination is due to be carried out later this year by academics at University College Cork to decide whether to retain the test or not. In this context it is interesting to note there has been a decline in the numbers sitting the aptitude test, dropping from around 3,000 students in 2012 to just over 2,500 candidates this year. It would be wise for those tasked with deciding on the HPats future to undertake research among applicants to establish why this decline has occurred.

The 2012 report of the National Research Group Evaluating Revised Entry Mechanisms to Medicine found that candidates who repeated the HPat were likely to improve their score with the largest improvement seen in a section devoted to non verbal-reasoning. The review subsequently recommended that the scores be redistributed for all three sections with the aim of reducing t he impact of repeating the test.

There can be no question mark over the integrity of any test which helps to determine entry to a university in the State. The Minister for Education must ask the Higher Education Authority to investigate the process of entry to medical schools in Irish universities as a matter of urgency.

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Concerns about HPat medical school entrance exam need to be urgently addressed

National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Releasing Medical School Match Day 2014 Results March 21, 2014

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Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) March 18, 2014

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) will announce the 2014 Main Residency Match results for more than 17, 000 United States allopathic medical school seniors and 16,000 other applicants on Friday, March 21, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Match Day is an annual rite of passage for U.S. medical school students and other applicants, a day when they learn at which U.S. residency programs they will train for the next three to seven years.

Its an exciting and life-changing day for young physicians, said Mona M. Signer, executive director of the NRMP. She added, We are pleased to be able to share in this defining moment in their careers.

Early in their final year of medical school, U. S. senior students apply to the residency programs at which they would like to train. Directors of those programs review applications and invite candidates for interviews, typically in the fall and early winter. Once the interview period is over, applicants and program directors submit rank order lists to the NRMP. Program directors rank applicants in order of preference, and applicants compile their lists based on their preferred medical specialty and the location of the training programs.

In 2013, 40,335 applicants vied for positions, and the NRMP reported that about 94% of U. S. seniors matched to first-year positions. Students and graduates of international medical schools, osteopathic (D.O. degree) schools, and Canadian candidates also participate in the Main Residency Match.

For more information and data on this years Match results, please visit the NRMP website after 1:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, March 21, or contact your local medical school for details on their Match Day ceremonies.

The NRMP Match The Match uses a computerized mathematical algorithm to align the preferences of applicants with the preferences of residency program directors in order to fill training positions available at U.S. teaching hospitals. Research on the NRMP algorithm was a basis for awarding The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2012.

About NRMP The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1952 at the request of medical students to provide an orderly and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors. In addition to the Main Residency Match, the NRMP conducts Fellowship Matches for more than 50 subspecialties through its Specialties Matching Service (SMS). For more information, contact NRMP at 1-866-653-NRMP (6767) or visit nrmp.org. For interviews, please email cherbert(at)nrmp(dot)org.

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National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Releasing Medical School Match Day 2014 Results March 21, 2014